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UC Davis Identity Standards

Glossary

Integrated marketing and branding terms:

  • Integrated Marketing Communications is “a planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time.” [American Marketing Association]
  • A brand is a collection of experiences and associations connected with a service, a person or any other entity. People engaged in branding seek to develop or align the expectations behind the brand experience, creating the impression that a brand associated with a product or service has certain qualities or characteristics that make it special or unique. A brand is therefore one of the most valuable elements in an advertising theme, as it demonstrates what the brand owner is able to offer in the marketplace. The art of creating and maintaining a brand is called brand management. [Wikipedia]
  • A brand statement or brand platform is a summary that draws from research knowledge to create a synopsis of everything that an organization stands for and offers that is of value to its constituents or customers. Brand statements are meant to be a resource for helping to frame and create communications; they are too internally focused to be presented in verbatim form to external audiences. [UC Davis]
  • A graphic identity or identity system includes the images an organization presents to the public through logos, typefaces, colors and other graphic elements that appear repetitively in visual communications. A consistent presentation of graphic identity increases brand clarity and recognition. [UC Davis]
  • A logo is the image embodying an organization. Because logos are meant to represent organization brands or corporate identities and foster their immediate customer recognition, it is counterproductive to frequently redesign logos or to have numerous logos within an organization. [Wikipedia/UC Davis]
  • A wordmark, subset of the term logotype or logo, is a standardized typographical representation of the name of a company, institution, or product used for purposes of identification and branding. A wordmark is usually a distinct text-only typographic treatment such as can be found in the graphic identities of FedEx, Google and UC Davis. [Wikipedia, UC Davis]
  • An identity line or tagline is a short phrase used in marketing campaigns and product packaging that defines and differentiates the organization to target audiences. [UC Davis]
  • A logo signature combines the UC Davis wordmark with the name of a campus unit in a uniform manner. It is used to visually identify an organizational unit with the greater brand. [UC Davis]

file format terms:

  • Pixel: As you enlarge a pixel-based (sometimes called bitmapped) image, the resolution decreases:
    • 100% 300 DPI = 300 DPI
    • 200% 300 DPI = 150 DPI
    • 300% 300 DPI = 100 DPI
  • DPI: (Dots per inch—can also be referred to as PPI, pixels per inch) DPI refers to the physical dot density of an image when it is reproduced as a real physical entity, for example printed onto paper, or displayed on a monitor. A digitally stored image has no inherent physical dimensions, measured in inches or centimeters. 300 DPI is the recommended dot density for images prepared for offset printing. [Wikipedia, UC Davis]
  • Vector: With a vector-based image, all shapes are determined by mathematical calculations, so no matter how you enlarge or reduce a vector image, it’s resolution is determined by the highest resolution available to the printer or the resolution of the screen on which it is viewed. Type generated in Illustrator and all layout software, and most images generated in Illustrator or Freehand is vector based. [UC Davis]
  • GIF: (Graphical Interchange Format) A pixel-based format using no more than 256 colors used primarily for Web graphics with areas of flat color [UC Davis]
  • EPS: (Encapsulated PostScript) A scalable vector format used mostly for print applications [UC Davis]
  • PNG: (Portable Network Graphic) A pixel-based format that works well with Microsoft applications such as Word and Powerpoint [UC Davis]

color space terms:

  • RGB: Red, Green and Blue mix to create all the colors you see on screen. Television and monitors function in this color space. RGB color is additive: Because it’s composed of light, adding light makes the colors lighter. RGB files should only be used for viewing on a monitor or projector. [UC Davis]
    Diagram showing RGB color
  • CMYK: Cyan (blue), Magenta (Nearly fuchsia), Yellow and Black. These colors mix to make most colors you see in print. CMYK is also sometimes referred to as “four-color” or “process color.” CMYK color is subtractive: Because it’s pigment-based, adding pigment makes the color darker. Use CMYK for files being sent to a press. [UC Davis]
    Diagram showing CMYK color
  • PMS: (Pantone Matching System, also referred to as spot color) Each spot color is created to be consistent. Most often used for corporate colors, or in 1- and 2-color printing where specific colors are chosen. Note that these swatches contain the formulas for mixing these specific inks. While black is a spot color, PMS colors are made by combining a few standard colors of ink to make literally thousands of colors. Using the Pantone system, any printer can create inks that will match to a high degree of accuracy. [UC Davis]
    Diagram showing PMS color